Substance Abuse

The Dangers

The dangers of substance abuse are as varied as the types of substances abused. Whether your loved one is abusing street drugs, prescription drugs or alcohol, they face real and serious dangers with each use.

Loving someone with an addiction can be a sad and overwhelming experience. As much as you want to find help for your loved one, the task of doing so can be very difficult to handle on your own.

By making a phone call to an intake counselor you can receive answers to your questions and learn how to get help for your parent, partner or child. The conversation you have with a counselor is private so there’s no need to worry about fear, shame or embarrassment.

Affect On Family And Others

Substance abuse affects more than just the abuser. Family members, friends and coworkers can also suffer to varying degrees, but the addict is too wrapped up in his or her addiction to realize how others are affected.

The fear of what substance abuse can lead to leads many family members to remain in denial of their loved one’s addiction. Unfortunately, denial does nothing to protect the addict from these very real dangers.

Health Risks- Different substances produce different side effects, such as hallucinations, incoherence and even temporary paralysis. The degree of severity in side effects depends upon the substance abused and the duration for which it’s used. Continued substance abuse eventually causes lethal damage to the organs, such as the hearts, lungs or liver. Drug abusers who use needles are susceptible to exposure to hepatitis C, AIDs and HIV. Repeated use of many substances can also lead to brain damage.

Legal Consequences- The legal ramifications of substance abuse go well beyond being arrested for purchasing or using illegal drugs. Substance abusers who drive will under the influence or sell drugs to support their own habits put themselves at risk for arrest and others at risk to lose their lives. The downward spiral of substance abuse leads formerly responsible, upstanding people to engage in illegal behaviors for the sole purpose of supporting their habit, and this can lead to months or years behind bars.

Emotional Dangers- Many substance abusers use drugs or alcohol to stimulate the pleasure pathways of the brain. Continued substance abuse can actually cause physical changes to these pathways and lead to brain damage. This brain damage can create substance abuse-induced forms of mental illness, such as depression, bipolar disorder and anxiety disorders. As the brain is altered and changed from damage caused by drugs or alcohol you and your loved one can face these consequences for life.

Loss of Life- One of the scariest dangers of drug and alcohol abuse is the risk of death. No one wants to lose a family member to addiction and no one should have to. But loss of life is a very real possibility for substance abusers and one they face with each use. The need to use commonly overrides even the fear of death, but as the loved one of an addict it is the consequence you fear the most.

Delray Can Help

An addiction to drugs or alcohol carries results in consequences that grow along with the addiction. As your loved one progressed in his or her addiction, the risks they face become more frightening.

Speaking with a trained counselor can help you find the support you need to deal with your parent, partner or child’s addiction. They can also help you understand how best to help your family member without enabling them to continue being an addict. The dangers of substance abuse are very real, but so are the opportunities to overcome addiction.

The Delray Recovery Center is a full-service drug and alcohol rehabilitation center that prides itself on their experience and quality of treatment for their clients. We offer an array of treatment options for all substance abusers that will certainly meet you and your families needs.

We have a full-time trained staff of rehabilitation specialists that have the necessary skills to assist you in the long road to recovery. There is hope, light at the end of the tunnel; Delray recovery Center is here for you.